PRADHAN MANTRI UJJWALA YOJANA

 

For: Preliminary & Mains

Topic covered:

• About Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana
• About Ujjwala Didis and their role

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News Flash

Ujjwala Didis are helping faster in implementation of Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY)

• Ujjwala Didis act as the bridge between existing and prospective LPG consumers and the distributors.

 

Concern

• Despite government’s support for the promotion of clean cooking fuel, large people in India still rely on solid fuels.
• Most people believe that food cooked on a chulha was healthier and tastier.
• Using cleaner fuels such as LPG is essential to reduce rural air pollution and improve health.

 

Ujjwala Didis

Oil Marketing Companies engaged more than 10,000 rural women as “Ujjwala Didis” to act as grassroot energy ambassadors across Odisha to ensure sustainability of LPG use.

 

What can policymakers do to achieve exclusive use of clean fuels in rural India?

Three strategies could work:

1. Communicating the harms of solid fuels and the benefits of cleaner fuels
2. Reducing the cost of LPG cylinder refills in rural areas
3. Promoting gender equality within households, particularly in cooking and related tasks.

 

• A large anti-tobacco style campaign communicating that solid fuels harm respiratory health may change these beliefs.
• Advertisements that food cooked on gas can be as tasty and healthy as food cooked on a chulha would be helpful.
• Reducing LPG prices in rural areas, where residents are poorer and solid fuels are easier to access, would also help.
• Another wat is to build on the targeting experience of the National Food Security Act. Under which, 75% of rural households are classified as priority households and entitled to subsidised rations. Another 10% of extremely poor households are classified as Antyodaya households, eligible for higher grain amounts at even lower prices.

 

Findings

• 92% of the respondents in the survey said food cooked on a chulha tastes better than food cooked on gas.
• More than 86% believed that food cooked on a chulha is healthier.
• Only 22% agreed that cooking food on a chulha is better for the health of the cook than cooking food on gas.

 

Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana

• PMUY aims to safeguard the health of women & children by providing them with clean cooking fuel, LPG.
• The smoke from burning firewood, coal, dung – cakes, etc. causes household pollution and adversely affects the health of Women & children causing several respiratory diseases/ disorders.
• Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana was launched by PM on May 1st, 2016 in Ballia, Uttar Pradesh.

 

Target beneficiaries

• Under this scheme, 5 Cr LPG connections will be provided to BPL families with a support of Rs.1600 per connection in the next 3 years.

 

The Government has also decided to cover the following categories under the Scheme:

• All SC/STs households beneficiaries of Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana(PMAY) (Gramin)
• Antyoday Anna Yojana (AAY)
• Forest dwellers
• Most Backward Classes (MBC)
• Tea & Ex-Tea Garden Tribes
• People residing in Islands
• People residing in the river islands.

 

Source: The Hindu

 

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